After prolonged debates and discussions the Bhartiya Janata Party leadership on Tuesday drew up a consensus to field party rabble-rouser Vinay Katiyar as the contender against Congress president Sonia Gandhi at the forthcoming  by-election in Rae Bareli on May 8.

Confirming this, state BJP chief Keshrinath Tripathi told this scribe in Lucknow, "a formal announcement  to that effect will be made by the party national president Raj Nath Singh later in the evening."

Tripathi, who had succeeded Katiyar as Uttar Pradesh chief of the party, termed the decision as a reflection of the party's resolve to give the Congress president a run for her money.

"We wish to make it clear that BJP means business and does not believe in putting up a candidate for the sake of formality like some of the other parties have done," he pointed out.

Predicting victory for Katiyar, he added, "and you will see our nominee emerging as the winner."

Having begun his career as founder of Bajrang Dal, that was a product of the Ayodhya temple movement, Katiyar symbolised the hardline Hindutva within the party.

His candidature against Sonia clearly sends the message that BJP was out to play up Hindutva in Rae Bareli, the political bastion of the Gandhi family, where blind reverence for the clan cuts across religious and caste lines.

Earlier, the ruling Samajwadi Party had declared a political non-entity Rajkumar Chaudhary as their candidate against Sonia.

Expelled Bharatiya Janata Party leader Uma Bharati has backed the nomination of Apna Dal candidate Prabha Singh Lodhi.

Among others  who have declared their candidature against Sonia Gandhi were Mohib-ur-Rahman and a rickshaw puller, Moti Lal, who have also filed their candidature as Independents .

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has announced her support to Sonia.

This will be Sonia's second election from Rae Bareli , from where she contested the first election in 2004 ,after she decided to hand over the  Amethi parliamentary seat in the neighbourhood  to her son m Rahul.  In the last election, Sonia swept the polls with a margin of 2,49,765 votes against her nearest rival Ashok Singh of the Samajwadi Party.

The bye-election in Rae Bareli was necessitated on account of her own resignation in the wake of a controversy over her holding an 'office of proft', in violation of Constitutional provisions. The position of National Advisory Council chairperson, held by her was termed as 'office of profit'. Even as the issue was still being debated, Sonia decided to tender her resignation on March 23.